Goblin Jin Gong

"So the eye symbol on the star chart represents the Prophecy Temple. Then the other strange symbols on the chart must represent other temples as well."

Bai Xiaowen landed on the vast platform before the Prophecy Temple. Ahead of him rose towering stone Steps, which, at a rough count, numbered more than ten thousand and stretched all the way to the Temple Gate.

From this angle, he could see only some of the Pillars of the magnificent temple. The immense Temple Main Body behind them was visible only in part.

This Prophecy Temple was unimaginably huge, in no way inferior to Profound Ice Star.

Moreover, within this planet-sized Prophecy Temple, he could faintly sense the auras of some living beings.

Bai Xiaowen guessed that the Chosen who had received prior Guidance from deities would all pay close attention to temples like this. Whenever they encountered one, they would certainly come explore it, unlike Bai Xiaowen, who had stumbled upon it by chance. This also showed the status of temples within the Land of Origin; ordinary Transit Planets could not compare.

In this way, the temples of the Land of Origin had, in a sense, become Gathering Places where Explorers exchanged, competed, and even fought.

What Bai Xiaowen cared about most was whether he could meet Xia Feng here.

He and Xia Feng had long made a Secret Agreement: whenever either of them reached a planet, they would leave behind their own Spirit Power Imprint. Bai Xiaowen had also refined Sensing Immortal Talismans attuned to both of their Spirit Power Imprints.

For example, Bai Xiaowen had left Spirit Power Imprints on both Profound Ice Star and Aqi Luo Star. If Xia Feng set foot on either planet, the Sensing Immortal Talisman would take effect, helping Xia Feng determine Bai Xiaowen's Journey Route so they could reunite sooner.

Not even Bai Xiaowen's Summoned Creatures knew about this Secret Agreement.

Qiao Liqun did not know either. Bai Xiaowen was unsure whether the deities had some means of eavesdropping on conversations, and besides, the God of Truth had not yet earned his complete trust.

Bai Xiaowen glanced at the Sensing Immortal Talisman. There was no response.

He shook his head slightly. Xia Feng had not been here yet.

That was perfectly normal. The Star Region of the Land of Origin was so vast that it was only natural for the two of them to miss each other. Although temples were hubs for Explorers, the Land of Origin contained far more than just this one Prophecy Temple. There were many other temples as well.

Bai Xiaowen prepared to fly over the ten thousand Steps.

However, just as he was about to rise into the air, Bai Xiaowen felt a heavy, obscure pressure force him straight back to the ground.

"What's going on?"

Bai Xiaowen found it rather unscientific. The pressure came quickly and vanished just as quickly; the moment his feet touched solid ground, it disappeared.

It seemed as if it existed solely to prevent Bai Xiaowen from flying.

"Is this the Majesty of a god? Does flying within a temple count as blasphemy too?"

Bai Xiaowen recalled the Antahe Caretaker's warning—

Do not blaspheme the gods.

Fine, I'll walk honestly, all right?

Bai Xiaowen began with a quick jog, then sped up, then sped up again.

He finally confirmed that the pressure targeted only flight.

It did not matter even if he ran across the ground as fast as a wild horse.

Thus, Bai Xiaowen crossed the ten thousand Steps in less than ten minutes and reached the end.

He finally saw the temple's main entrance clearly. Before it lay a vast Square, and at the center of the Square stood an enormous statue several hundred meters tall.

It was a figure completely wrapped in a cloak, holding a glowing eye in its hands. It looked very much like a statue of the God of Prophecy.

On the Square, Bai Xiaowen was surprised to see Stalls after Stalls.

Just like the offline Stalls on Blue Star's Evolutionary Platform, each Stall had a Notice Board displaying written notices in some unified language.

Unfortunately, Bai Xiaowen did not recognize this script. It looked like some kind of Martian Language.

"Were these Stalls left behind by Explorers, or by natives of the Land of Origin?" Bai Xiaowen felt as though his brain was no longer enough.

Aside from these unattended Stalls, there were only a handful of people in the entire Square, seemingly discussing something.

"Hello, friend."

Suddenly, a Thought Wave reached Bai Xiaowen.

Bai Xiaowen looked in the direction it had come from, and his eyes immediately widened.

Short, green skin, Big Ears, Small Eyes...

This was clearly a goblin!

"Were you calling me?" Bai Xiaowen decided to confirm it.

"Of course, my friend. There's no one else around us."

This goblin was about a meter tall. A huge golden Nose Ring hung from one nostril beside his large nose, and when he opened his mouth, he revealed two neat rows of gold teeth. "Time is money, my friend. Let's get straight to it. My name is Jin Gong, a Chosen of the God of Wealth. This Square is Jin Gong's territory, and I'm the Marketplace Administrator everyone trusts!"

"Then these Stalls and Notice Boards..."

"Jin Gong wrote them all. The script used is Common Gold Yuan Language from Gold Mine Star. If you need it, I also provide an Omni-Translation Service. For just one Divinity Core, you'll be able to understand all the information on these Notice Boards!"

"You just said you're the Marketplace Administrator everyone trusts, right? The things written on these Stalls are all Trading Information? What are they trading?" Bai Xiaowen fired off three questions in a row.

The goblin named Jin Gong nodded and said with a beaming smile, "Everyone is trading Divine Artifact Fragments they have no use for. You understand, Explorers' time is precious. They need to explore this vast Prophecy Temple, find more Divine Artifact Fragments and Divinity Cores, while also having a need to exchange Divine Artifact Fragments!

"So kind-hearted Jin Gong stepped forward and sacrificed his precious time to help everyone! Jin Gong has the Contact Methods of the other Stall Owners. Once someone takes a fancy to a certain Stall Owner's Divine Artifact Fragment, they can contact that Stall Owner through Jin Gong and arrange a time and place for the trade. Jin Gong only charges a tiny, insignificant fee! Jin Gong is truly too kind!"

"Very clever."

Bai Xiaowen offered a word of praise.

During the Common Era, a gold rush had once swept through a place in the United States. The overwhelming majority of prospectors returned empty-handed, while only those selling jeans made a fortune.

The current situation in the Land of Origin was strikingly similar. Everyone had their eyes reddened by greed as they fixated on the treasure, racking their brains to venture deep into the Inner Star Region, gather Divine Artifact Fragments, and explore Ancient Ruins to strengthen themselves in hopes of becoming the fortunate one to ultimately obtain the treasure. Yet in the end, only one person would get it; everyone else was merely running alongside.

For a goblin like Jin Gong to take a different path, become an intermediary in the Divine Artifact Fragment trade, and profit handsomely from the Price Difference was truly a clever and pragmatic choice.

Moreover, the Contact Methods and intelligence information of so many people were themselves a valuable Intelligence Resource. Bai Xiaowen instantly felt that Goblin Jin Gong was probably more likely than most to make it to the end, perhaps even seize the treasure.